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On July 24th and 25th Informa Australia hosted their inaugural Bitcoin conference in Sydney, Australia. Entitled ‘Cryptocon Conference and Barcamp’, this two-day event represented the first major Bitcoin event to come to Sydney.
Cryptocon drew together many of the key themes in Bitcoin and emerging blockchain based technologies from the US, Europe, Asia and Australia. The event took place at the Park Royal Hotel in Darling Harbour and featured a wide array of global speakers and attendees.
Day one was chaired by Tristan Winters, Director of Bitcoin Australia, and featured presentations from Bitcoin entrepreneurs and venture capital investors, covering topics as wide ranging as privacy and the Internet of Things, as well as panels on fostering adoption and the ‘Dark Web’.
The discussion in the afternoon was opened up to audience members more proactively. The law enforcement and Reserve Bank members offered their unique perspectives on blockchain technologies and its implications for their own workings.
Speakers on Day one included Domenic Carosa, the Co-Founder and Chairman of Future Capital Bitcoin Fund, Jeremy Glaros, Chief Executive Officer of Coinarch, Niki Scevak, Principal at Blackbird Ventures, Jeremy Lam, Technical Business Analyst at Counterparty & Creator of Vennd, Chris Mountford, Senior Developer at Altassian & Founder of BlockZombie, Adam Poulton, the Secretary of Bitcoin Association of Australia, Amor Sexton, Digital Currency Lawyer at Adroit Lawyers, Leon-Gerard Vandenberg, CTO Future Capital Bitcoin Fund & Founder of bitSIM and Lawrence Chan, Head of Product Development at MyRepublic.
Day two was notable for some truly enlightening presentations by leading academics. These thinkers were proud to release their own research, which focused on topics as broad as the environmental impacts of mining (relative to the creation of fiat and precious metals), developments in cryptography and challenges in blockchain analysis. The studies explored key issues around these topics at a depth rarely seen at Bitcoin events.
Chaired by Pantelis Roussakis, Co-Founder of Bitcoin Association of Australia, the second day opened with an in-depth and analytical study of Bitcoin and its blockchain by Jonathan Levin, founder at Coinometrics. This was followed by a highly instructive panel on the ‘Dark Economy’.
Hass McCook of The Lifeboat Foundation and Kitten Tofu, Software Engineer and Crypto-currency Researcher at Eudemonia presented some eye opening academic analysis. In the first case, on the comparative environmental impacts of mining. In the second instance on the push towards anonymity, developments in cryptography and their incorporation into tools such as Dark Wallet, Coinjoin, Stealth Addresses and Monero.
Anson Zeall, CEO & Co-Founder of CoinPip and Jason Williams, Founder of BitPos both looked at the retail implications of Bitcoin from the perspective of their own companies, while Tristan Winters presented an insightful look at the nitty-gritty of Bitcoin business in Africa, relative to the hype.
Matthew Cridland’s (Tax Partner at DLA Piper, Australia) candid and practical look at Bitcoin and its tax implications was a welcome addition for many attendees.
Advances in Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain technology are seeing an explosion in trustless networks. This was reflected well at the event, from open to close.
Informa would like to extend their gratitude to all sponsors, attendees and especially the speakers who made this event possible.
If you missed out on this topical and interactive event in Sydney, do join Informa’s Cryptocon Conference and Barcamp in Singapore. It will take place on the 24th and 25th November at Singapore’s Rendezvous Hotel.
